Heartache may be the least of Valentine’s Day worries.
A federal agency on Monday warned consumers looking for love to be extremely careful about cyberromances as scammers with the help of artificial intelligence are rampant online.
“Valentine’s Day is a timely reminder to the public not to fall prey to criminals who use love to trick their victims for financial gain,” said Demetrius, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. Hardeman said. He told Georgia television station WALB..
In 2022, nearly 70,000 people were collectively defrauded of $1.3 billion in romance scams. According to the Federal Trade Commission.
FBI Special Agent Brett King warned this year that emerging technology is making these scams, which lure victims into long-distance relationships and then demand money or valuables, more sophisticated.
“What we envision is one person doing this whole thing.” King told Alabama television station CBS42.
“No, this was a whole assembly line of people following a script, and they really turned it into a science,” King continued. “The way they speak and write words allows the AI to write letters from the person next door.”
Recently, we have also observed a surge in AI-generated fakes on dating apps.
To add insult to injury, the Department of Homeland Security warns that the most vulnerable are those who are typically targeted.
“Romance scams can affect anyone, but for seniors in our community, the consequences can be devastating.” matt stents saidAssistant Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Detroit.
But since the pandemic began, adults between the ages of 18 and 29 have become six times more likely to fall for a romance scam than older age groups, according to FTC data.
Overall, reports of these incidents have increased eightfold since 2020.
Stenz noted that many people “donate significant portions of their savings” under the guise of dating, sometimes repeatedly.
FBI strongly warns This information often helps scammers better profile and target their victims, so individuals should be careful about what they post online and on social media.
The department also recommends doing a background check on the person’s name and photo to see if they have been used before or elsewhere.
It’s also important to take things slowly, ask lots of questions, and be suspicious if your partner wants to quickly distance themselves from communication on apps and social sites.
After all, if the person keeps making excuses for why they can’t meet in person, that’s another big red flag.
The FBI warns that if a victim sends private or compromising photos to a scammer, the situation can unfortunately turn into a “sextortion” extortion scam, with the perpetrator typically , adding that they would try to separate the victim from close friends and family.
Similar caveats apply to financial information.
According to the FTC, the most common romance scams are lies
- “I or someone close to me is sick, injured, or in jail.”
- “I’ll teach you how to invest.”
- “I’m in the military far away.”
- “I need help with an important birth.”
- “We’ve never met, but let’s talk about marriage.”
- “Money or gold has come in.”
- “I’m on an oil rig or a ship.”
- “Trust me with your private photos.”
